A turntable may appear as a strange a complicated beast, but once you break it down (not literally, unless you really know what you’re doing…) it’s really not all that bad. We have demonstrated this, by breaking it all down for you. Here we have the Audio Affair anatomy of a turntable!
Tone Arm
This is the free-swinging arm of a phonograph turntable that holds the cartridge, which contains the stylus. This is the item which holds the instrument which runs over the grooves on the vinyl.
Counterweight
The weight that hangs at the edge of the tonearm which can be adjusted to configure both cartridge alignment and downward force (dependent on the cartridge).
Anti-skate
A simple yet essential device that prevents the tone arm, and its cartridge, from ‘skating’ towards the centre of the turntable.
Cueing Lever
A device that allows for the raising and lowering of the stylus needle in the cartridge, allowing for you to ‘cue’ records without lowering the tonearm by hand.
Tonearm Rest
A cradle which you rest the tonearm in when the tonearm is not in use. A very handy tool during the ‘setting up’ period.
Pitch Adjustment
Also known as a ‘vari-speed’, this allows for the rotation speed of the platter to be adjusted, to deviate from a standard speed. This is not a standard feature on many modern turntables.
Speed Selector
Different turntables will have different options, but typically this function will allow you to switch between 33⅓, 45 or even 78rpm.
Strobe Light
An unusual feature on modern turntables, but still worth a mention. This is a measuring tool to ensure that the belt and platter are spinning at exactly the designated rpm.
Headshell
Connects the cartridge to the tone arm, all the while holding it firmly in place while the stylus does its thing.
Cartridge
The crucial item: the cartridge holds the stylus (or needle) and converts its readings of the grooves in the vinyl into an electrical signal representing a sound wave.
Stylus
Also known as the ‘needle’ this is the item that sits in the cartridge and ‘reads’ the grooves in the vinyl, feeding the information into the cartridge.
Stop/Start
… speaks for itself.
Mat
Sits between the platter and the record and works to iscolate the record from vibration, improving the sound quality and overall function by gripping the vinyl, as well as protecting it.
Platter
Driven by the belt, this is the part that is designed to move, rotating the record underneath the stylus.
Plinth
The body of the turntable, or the ‘base’.
Beneath the platter we have the motor, pulley and belt which work to turn the platter at the designated rpm.
… and that’s the basic premise.